The Souls We Carry
by Punkheart11
Summary: There is only so much a Time Lord can take before he snaps, and the result isn't pretty. *AU where the Doctor decides to shoot Jex in A Town Called Mercy*


A Town Called Mercy

The Doctor's Perspective:

It was something I never thought I'd be doing. Not in a long time. The trigger lay against my finger as I pointed the gun right at Jex's head. This man, no, this scum, this walking piece of filth, needed to pay for what he did. He needed to feel what his victims felt before he mutated them into walking weapons. The cold steel felt somewhat warm in my hand, somewhat friendly. I was about to move my index finger when-

*BAM*

I turned around sharply and looked at Amy, who had a gun pointed in the air. "Let him come back Doctor!"

What was this red-headed fool getting herself into? "Or what? You won't shoot me." I knew she wouldn't, she cared about me too much. She really was a fool.

"How do you know? Maybe I've changed. I mean you've clearly been taking stupid lessons since I saw you last." As she spoke she accidently shot her gun two times. Isaac said something but I didn't pay attention, I just walked right up to her.

"We could end this right now. We could save everyone right now!" I wasn't about to risk innocent lives for this so called _scientist_.

"This is not how we roll, and you know it. What's happened to you, Doctor? When did killing someone become an option?" It's always been an option, I thought, I've just never been smart enough to take it.

"Jex has to answer for his crimes." He needs to do so much more, but this would satisfy me. My hand gripped the weapon in my palm.

"And what then? Are you going to hunt down everyone who's made a gun or a bullet or a bomb?" Oh real mature Pond, just keep pressing on.

"But they keep coming back, don't you see? Every time I negotiate, I try to understand. Well not today. No, today I honor the victims first. His, The Master's, the Daleks'. All the people that died because of my mercy!" How ironic, me saying that in this town. This man was going to pay, and so was I. Here and now I repay everyone who has died because of me. Everyone who's life I've screwed over, everyone who was foolish enough to think that they would be safe with me, everyone who ever had the misfortune of meeting and regretting it ever waking moment of their lives, they were all about to be repaid with one little bullet.

"See this is what happens when you travel alone for too long. Well listen to me, Doctor, we can't be like him. We have to be better than him." The ginger looked at me. Her young, fragile eyes met with my tired, worn out ones. Could she be right? Will doing this make me like Davros, like the Master, will I become as emotionless as a Dalek or a Cyberman?

…

…

…

That was a chance I was willing to take. "Sorry Amy, but when you've lived as long as I have, you start to see things a little differently. We can't all be good little Scottish girls now can we?" And before she had time to say anything I flipped around and pulled the trigger. The bullet landed squarely in his head, and he collapsed, a pool of crimson surrounding him. "It's over." I said quietly as I turned to the people of Mercy, staring at me with disbelieving eyes. "What…you're safe now. No more Gunslinger, you can all live like normal people now. By the way, you might want to change the number on the sign to say 80." I said as I began to turn away.

"And you might want to change your name…Doctor." I turned to Isaac, who had bent over the now deceased Jex.

"Excuse me?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know what that word means in your alien language, but here it means someone who helps people, who makes their life better. And the only man who fits that description has been murdered in cold blood before my eyes." The marshal replied, as he stared at me.

There was a moment of silence as I looked around at the people of this town. They all just kept staring at me, as if I was going to say something more, perhaps explain my actions to them, say I'm sorry, tell them I'll fix it. My gaze then laid on Amy and Rory, Amy eyes brimming with tears and Rory giving me a death glare. Well, I certainly didn't need to explain myself to a bunch of insignificant humans, the deed was done, and it was time for me to leave. "So, you people are safe now and may continue living like normal human beings!" I said, straightening my bow tie and clasped my hand together.

"But can you?" Isaac asked me. I furrowed my brow, I had nothing left to say to him. Ignoring him I motioned for Amy and Rory to follow me.

"Come along Ponds! Off to the TARDIS." I turned my back on Mercy, and as the ponds walked behind me, I once never looked back.

…

Amy's Perspective:

"Doctor, I think it's time you dropped us off at home, permanently." I turned to Time Lord looking at the console of the TARDIS.

"Sorry?" He asked, looking at me.

It had been nearly 2 hours since the Doctor…killed…Jex, and my husband and I had been in our rooms. We didn't talk to him after entering the police box, and this was the first time I looked at him directly since Mercy.

"Rory and I have been talking, and I think that it's time that we stopped traveling with you." I never thought I would be speaking those words, not to him. But this is not the same Raggedy Man that landed in my backyard. He's changed, and I don't like it.

"This is about what happened at Mercy isn't it?" The Doctor asked, his eyes darkening.

"No, this is about the Silurians on the spaceship, of course it's about Mercy! I mean, what WAS that?" I yelled, as he began to turn away. "What happened? It's like River said, Doctor means wise man, and healer, but if you keep up doing stuff like this pretty soon you will be the Oncoming Storm, the man who can strike fear into the hearts of species around the galaxy! Is that what you really want to be?"

"You know what, maybe I do huh! Maybe I've spent too long being the good guy, maybe it's time I start letting people know why I'm called the Predator. Do you know why I give people a second chance? Because I think I can find the good in them, because I think that they will be able to change as easily as you or I could. But now, I realize that that just isn't the case. I have to stop living in this fantasy world where everything is sunshine and lollipops and I can save everyone cause y'know sometimes I just CAN'T! And, not going to lie, it really pisses me off! Do you know how much I've had to sacrifice to keep calling myself the Doctor? There have been so many opportunities where I could have saved people a hell of a lot of trouble with the push of a button or a flick of a trigger, but I didn't! And every waking moment of my life I've had to live with that guilt. So y'know what? I GIVE UP!" The Doctor cried, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Are you even listening to yourself?! What would River say if she could see you know?"

"Oh yeah, Amy. Thanks for telling me about the woman who I know is destined to die!" The Doctor yelled at me, opening his eyes wide as soon as the words left his mouth. I felt my insides grow cold.

"Wh…what did you say?" I asked him.

"Oh yeah sorry, I forgot to tell you. Your daughter is going to die in the future. Well, your future, my past." He just stared at me for a while, as I let the information sink in. As I remember now, the expression on his face was emotionless, as if he didn't care that this was just another day for him. I was about to get up to somehow tell my daughter when the Doctor spoke again.

"It hurts, doesn't it? Realizing that someone you know is going to die. But you can't say anything to her, because her death is fixed. So, sorry!" The Doctor said, shrugging his shoulders.

I couldn't believe what he was saying…it had to be a joke…he didn't know what he was talking about…he was lying…wasn't he. "Doctor…I want you to take Rory and I home RIGHT NOW!" I yelled, as tears began to brim in my eyes, of course I wouldn't cry in front of him. Rory had remained speechless for the entirety of the fight, and could only stand with him mouth open. The Doctor had a glimpse of shock and sadness run through him, but that didn't last for too long.

"Fine…next stop, your house."

The Doctor's POV:

The TARDIS had landed in front of the Pond's house. This was it, the parting of the ways. From this point on, I would never see Amy and Rory again…and nothing was going to change that. I looked at the red haired girl. "Well, we're here…what are you waiting for." Amy then grabbed her jacket and walked straight out of the TARDIS, not even bothering to look at me. "Goodbye." I said, as she made her way through the door. She didn't bother to say anything as she walked out, but after a few seconds, she came back in, and with what she said to me, I almost wished she hadn't said anything at all. She just came straight to my face and said, "Jex told me that in their culture, they believe that when they die, they carry the souls of everyone they wronged in their life. Now I just have one question to ask you Doctor. How many souls will you carry?" And then she left. And I haven't seen them since.


End file.
